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For Dennis Lindsey, the talk with his prized rookie was an enlightening one.
The general manager — the man who makes personnel decisions for the Utah Jazz — recently returned from Spain, where he and his assistant GM Justin Zanik watched FIBA World Cup play and the multiple guys the Jazz have participating.
There, Lindsey sat down with lottery pick Dante Exum, the 6-foot-6 point guard who is playing for the Australian National Team. They spoke about diet, and his role off the bench. They spoke of the upcoming NBA season and training camp, which is about three weeks away. In the midst of it all, Lindsey made a startling realization.
At the time of that conversation, Exum had been on the road for 31 consecutive days.
"I guess there's not a better way for him to prepare for what's about to come," Lindsey said.
Like many GMs around the NBA, Lindsey has a range of emotions concerning the World Cup that runs from great pride to great fear. Even with Gordon Hayward's ouster from Team USA a few weeks ago, the Jazz have multiple players participating for different countries. Exum, and Brock Motum are with Australia. Rudy Gobert plays for France. Raul Neto — the point guard whom the Jazz drafted two years ago and stashed — scored 21 points on Sunday in Brazil's round of 16 win over Argentina. Enes Kanter was to be a central figure for the Turkish National Team, but minor knee surgery over the summer prevented that. A projected starter at power forward this year, Kanter is expected to be ready for training camp.
As of Sunday morning, all three of those players were still alive with their teams, in the final 16 of the tournament. It's an experience for the three that the Jazz hope translates to the regular season, which starts in a little less than two months. Either way, having so many players involved in the World Cup is seen as a good thing by Lindsey — provided they return in one piece.
"Of course there is a little concern," Lindsey told The Tribune on Friday. "Like all of the general managers who have players playing, we worry about injury, and we worry about fatigue. But we're proud of the guys who are at the World Cup representing their countries and we are happy that they are gaining good experience over there."
None of the four are starters. All are very young, and all are playing with talented and experienced teams who have been together for a long time. Still, the four all receive good playing time, and have made an impact in their own way.
Exum — in the final game of pool play last week — scored 12 points and dished out six assists in 31 minutes, as Australia lost to Angola. Neto scored 14 points and passed for 10 assists in a Brazil win over Egypt. Gobert's improvement over the summer has continued with France, as he's carved out a role for himself off the bench.
A second year center, Gobert has opened many eyes this summer with his rapid development, shot-blocking and athleticism wrapped in a 7-1 package. Playing alongside NBA guys like Nick Batum and Boris Diaw, Gobert has become a defensive force for the French and has become effective at catching and finishing in the paint.
"We're proud of Rudy's development," Lindsey said. "He's worked very hard to improve. He's always been good defensively, but we're pleased with the way he's rebounded the ball as well. He's certainly made a compelling case to become a rotation player for us this season."
Lindsey is happy that Exum is getting a taste of professional basketball life — so it's not all a shock to him come October. Yes, being away from home for so long is a grind. But it's also a part of the process and development for Utah's rookie guard.
For a Jazz team that will be young in many spots, any extra experience can only be a good thing. That's how Lindsey views the World Cup. He's hoping that experience will morph into NBA success.
Twitter: @tjonessltrib —
Jazz players at World Cup
Dante Exum • Australia
Rudy Gobert • France
Raul Neto • Brazil
Brock Motum • Australia —
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